‘Son of God’ cult leader, 74, denies sex trafficking charges after he’s arrested in compound where he ‘kept women as sex slaves’ and ‘abused children’

A celebrity pastor who calls himself the “Appointed Son of God” has pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges, including sexual abuse of a child and sex trafficking.

Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) with six million followers, was arrested on Sunday at the KOJC’s 30-hectare compound in the southern city of Davao after a weeks-long police operation.

The 74-year-old was brought to the heavily guarded Pasig courthouse this morning in handcuffs, wearing a bulletproof helmet and vest, with Philippine police concerned about a possible attempt on his life.

He told his followers to “stay strong” before police took him and several of his alleged accomplices into court.

Thanks to a whistleblower tip, police were able to arrest the pastor in his home, where he reportedly held captive women and children as sex slaves.

He is accused of heinous crimes. In the United States, he has been charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children. He is also facing a host of other alleged crimes.

The self-anointed ‘Son of God’ will remain in custody at the police station for the time being, police said, along with some of his followers.

“He is innocent,” his lawyer, Israelito Torreon, told reporters after his client’s first summons today.

Quiboloy also pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual abuse during a trial in Quezon City, held via teleconference.

However, according to police, more people came forward claiming that he had sexually abused them almost immediately after his arrest.

“We firmly believe that the truth about the alleged criminal acts of Apollo C. Quiboloy and his co-defendants will eventually come to light,” Joahna Paula Domingo, a co-attorney for one of the alleged victims, said in a statement.

“These cases were filed in 2019 and since then we have been seeking justice for the complainant for a long time,” she said.

In a statement released by the KOJC prior to Quiboloy’s summons, the church said its “main rule” was that members “are not forced to do anything against their will.”

Quibolo faces similar charges in the United States, where he is on the FBI’s most wanted list.

The United States was expected to request the extradition of Quiboloy and his co-defendant at some point, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said they must first appear in court in the Philippines.

Quiboloy founded the KOJC after returning from “an exile in Tamayong,” saying he was led by God through dreams in the foothills of Mount Matutum to establish his church in the late 1990s.

Since then, he has built a large loyal following across the country, earning him the loyalty of several politicians and government officials.

Rodrigo Duterte, the populist former president, saw the value of Quiboloy’s support when he ran for mayor in 1988 and attracted his attention.

For decades, until as recently as 2021, Quiboloy maintained a carefully curated public role, appearing for interviews in the national press and greeting his followers on the streets of Davao.

But American interest in Quiboloy’s alleged underhanded practices in the US put the pastor in the international spotlight.

A federal grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and large-scale cash smuggling.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for him in November 2021.

The FBI has named Quiboloy one of its most wanted individuals for his alleged participation in a labor program that “brought church members to the United States on fraudulently obtained visas and coerced the members into soliciting donations for a bogus charity. These donations were used to fund the church’s activities and the extravagant lifestyles of its leaders.”

Those who managed to obtain such “fake” donations were then reportedly “forced into sham marriages” or obtain fraudulent visas to remain in the US to work year-round.

The FBI also cites allegations that women were recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” to prepare meals for Quiboloy, clean his homes, give him massages and have sex with him during what they called “night shifts.”

Victims were also said to have faced threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” if they did not comply with the self-proclaimed “son of God.”

Police in the Philippines received additional help from a woman named “Amanda,” a whistleblower and former “full-time miracle worker” for KOJC, who testified that she was one of several women detained after being forced into a sexual relationship with Quiboloy “at a young age.”

According to the Daily Tribune, a local newspaper that has been closely following the case, this was offered to the victims as a “special privilege” for a select group.

On August 24, the Philippine National Police (PNP) raided a 75-hectare compound in Davao City linked to the KOJC in search of Quiboloy.

The complex is said to have three floors, two of which are reserved for the “most attractive” women who Quiboloy kept as “sacrifices” and a third was reportedly used to confine other women, the Stand.

Chilling footage shows police sweeping the bleak, unlit lower floors. The floors were empty, but there were still signs of life. Laundry was strewn across large, open spaces, resembling rows of low wooden beds.

Other floors looked more like hotel corridors. Some had individual rooms with neatly made single beds, potted plants and posters for decoration. Others were more modestly furnished and had multiple bunk beds or double beds and couches.